Dirigible-headlight mechanism.



G. WATERS.. DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILBDMAY 5, 191 Y 1 1 30 357, Patented M'a1'22, 19-15.

.2 SHBET8,SHEET 1;

G. WATERS. DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT MECHANISM. APPLIOAIION FILED MAY 5, 1914 1,130,357., Patented Mar. 2,1915, ,1 v 2 MEETS-SHEET 2 fife? 1 citizen of the United titate residing at rHldilBI-IGIET lXIEGHANISll/I.

l lliid d'lu Application files i iay 5, rare ToaZZ whom it may concern Be known that l, ilmr rou Vfarnns,

llrookfield, in the county l of Missouri. have invented certain new useful improvements in Dirigihle Mechanism, of which the following is av specification;

invention relates to new and useful improvements in dirigible headlights for vehicles, particularly vehicles of the selfpropelled type, the primary object of my inventionbeing the provision of a simple mechanism coasting between one of the steering knuckles of the vehicle and the headlights to cause siniultanemis turning movement of the wheels.

A further object of my invention is to ation of Letters lfatent.

headlights and steering provide a mechanism so arranged as to com-' ,pensat'e for any vertical movement of the headlights with respect to the front axle of. the vehicle, due to the action of the suspension springs of the vehicle body.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a novel means for attaching headlight carrying forks to the operating mechanism, said means including a bolt of the self-lubricating type so arranged as to lubricate the supporting bearings of the mechanism.

A still further object of invention is the provision of a, headlight operating mechanism in which the power transmission depends upon intermeshing gears rather than upon a complicated system of slotted lever arms; cranks and other mechanical ele" ments commonly employed for this purpose.

With these and other objects in view. my invention will be more fully described, illus trated in the drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment thereof and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional form of automobile showing my headlight operating mechanism in use; Fig. 2 is a front elethe structure shown in 1, part Patented Mar. EH15;

Serial No. $36,431

is a vertical sectional view taken on the line of Fig. 2; Fig. is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingvv description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

"i orderto insure a clear and full understanding of my invention and its operation, I have illustrated it in connection with a conventional form of automobile 10 having a forward axle 11 and steering wheels 12 pivotally connected to the axle through the medium of the usual steering knuckles 13, the knuckles being pivoted for swinging movement about a vertical axis in heads formed at the ends of the axle. The forward portion of the body of the automobile is suitably supported by side frame members 14 connected to semi-elliptical springs 15 carried by the forward axle. As the above described structure is of a conventional type any further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Secured to one of the side frame members 14 of the vehicle is a substantially L-shaped lamp bracket 16. the up-standing portion of which is provided with vertically spaced, forwardly extending arms 17 and 18 provided adjacent their forward ends with alined bearings 19. A similar bracket 20, having spaced arms 2-1 and 22 provided with bearings 23, is mounted upon the opposite frame member of the vehicle in transverse alinement with the first these brackets serving as supports for the headlights 24, which may be of any desired type. These headlights are carried by the lamp-carrying forks 25, which are of the usual type, with the exception that the standard portions 26 of the forks are provided throughout their length with bores 27.

Each of the standard 'portions of the lamp-carrying forks is adapted to seat vertically between the spaced arms of its bracket with its lower end in a circumferential groove or channel 28 formed in the upper face of the lower arm, the bracket being suflicicntly resilient to permit proper assembling of the parts in the above manner. Pivot pins or bolts 29 having heads 30 pass downwardly through the brackets and through the bores of the standards and are secured in place by nuts 31 which are in turn locked by be. directed. st

9 fijconnection t e s Q I nieces"! longitudinally extending bores or lubricant P ssages o3 which terminate short their.

lower ends and which esi'fiend through the 5 l1eads,"l')eing thereby cminrerbored to recclve the threaded nipples of lubricanii cups 34. These lubricant passages provided at intervals with radial extensions by means of which the lubricanc may through the bearing surfaces of the standards and pivot bolts Crank arms 86 are mounted upon theupper portions of the fork standards and secured against turning movement thereon by'seat bolts 37, or other suitable fastening devices. 'l he free ends of these crank arms pivotally connected to the ends of the connecting;

rod 38 by self-lubricating pivot pins 39, ibis connecting rod being of such length rhai the crank arms 37 may be extended rearwnrdly to bring the reflectors of the lamps in a common plane parallel to the front axle of the car. .A spur gear 40 is also mounted upon one of the fork standards immediately below its crank arm 37 and secured in place by a set bolt 41.

That bracket journaling' the standard carrying the spur gear 40, which in the drawings is the bracket 15, has its lower arm 1? extended inwardly at right angles to form a bearing l2, in which is journaled a; vertically disposed shaft-43 carrying at its upper end a spur gear 4e meshing with lhe spur gear 40. The lower end of this shaft 43 is preferably slightly enlarged and in any event provided with a squared socket 45 to receive the squared upper terminal 46 of a shaft, 47 the shaft-47 being journaled for rotation in the spaced arms of bracket 4-8 carried by the forward axle. This bracket includes co-acting clamp members 49 and 50 adapted to be secured to the axle by a nut 51 and bolt 52 passed through their mating cars 53. One of these clamp 5 members is provided with a forwardly di rected portion having an upwardly and rear- Wardly directed. terminal providing; the spaced arms 5% and 55, in which the shaft section 47 is journaled. A. crank arm 56 is carried by that portion of the shaft section 47 extending between these arins being se cured against turning nioveinenl ndependent of the shaft section ll by the set boll; 57. The adjacent steering" knuckle 13 is provided with a forwardly erssendinc; arm 58 and rod 59 is pivosally connected at its ends to. the free ends of the arms 56 and 58 by self-lubricating niece; nine .60. This rodshould oi? norlziot; d

that when lhe Wheels I rected straight ahead, as shown; in Figs l and 2 of the drawings, t lamps will also I I A while at the some time insuring he Wise occur in a mechanism so constan'izl .tion, it will of course be under iicle are diof my improved e nisrn Will re; clearthat any in lhe knuckle of yvh will act through i to swing the or: turn the shaft formed by she. shai; 43 and l'l and so burn toe .gear l-l, meshing as it does with will cause a correspcndin j that headlight Whose fork r said gear. This turning one hes will act through the rod 58 so cause snonding turning" of the other he For this reason the reflectors of the l lights will always lie in a plane or planes perpendicular to the planes of the Wheels. T he telescopic shaft sections #3 1 -17 prevent. injury to the inechz'lnism. d1 vertical nnrrement of the vehicle body W respect to the forward axle 11 oi the Y i transmission of all movement imDartedthe arm of the steering knuckle. As a matter of fact, no eXtrenie care is nec in the proportioning of the length of an "(5 various crank arms and connecting rods, as

the proper adjustment can be made by curing the crank arms, and gears upon lheir respective shafts in properly adiusted role-V tioni dcpendenic upon. the proporlions of crank arms and connecting rods' plo ment of the SelfJubricaring lamp si porting pins and the self-lubricating pl pins for the -various conneclions nrev undue Weanof the partswhich would orb.

use, and also renders she operation of mechsrnsm noiseless.

Although l'have illuslzraicd and descrih my invention in all ns letails of construe hood Ch I do not Wish so, in any "way lines my to such details as various wish i'ahe scope of the :mpended claims "r 4 made at any time, if desired wiihous in slightest degree departing; l rcin she of my invention Having "rhus described whae' is claimed i L A dirigible' headlight for rector rel K cles inclndh a l merit to a vehicle frameandhsi v spaced arms slorcp supporting" for ing; a standard .bly moon-bed inane L0 24 spaced arr ing sstain the arms, a gear carried by the standard,

and means adapted for operative connectionsbetween a steering'knuckl'e of the vehicle and such gear for causing synchronous movement of the two, said means including a shaft journaled inthebracket, a gear carried by such shaft and-meshing with the first gear, a second bracket adapted for attachment to the vehicle axle, a shaft journaled in said second bracket and having sliding-telescopic engagement with the before mentioned shaft, an arm carried by the axle supported shaft, and a link pivotally connected to the arm and adapted for piv-' otal connection to a steering knuckle carried arm.

3. A dirigible headlight for motor vehicles includinga bracket adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having vertically spaced arms, a lamp supporting fork having a standard 'rotatably mounted between the arms, a pin extending through the-arms and standard and provided with a lubricant spaced arms, a lamp bracketincluding "a tubular body portlon' adaptedto be pos1- tioned'between the'arms, pivotal fastening means extending through the arms and bore of. the lamp bracket, and means co-acting between the lamp bracket and steering knucklefor turningthe bracket.

5. A dirigible headlight for motor vehicles including a bracket adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having vertically spaced arms, the lower of said arms having acircular recess in its upper face, a lamp bracket including a tubular standard portion insertible' between the arms with its lower end seating inthe recess of the lower arm, a gear carried by the standard, means adapted for operative connection between the steering knuckle of a vehicle, and standard, and means for securing the lamp bracket against displacement.

e. A dirigible headlight for motorvehicles including a bracket adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having vertically spaced arms, the lower of said arms having a circular recess in its upper face, a lamp bracket including a tubular standard portion insertible between the arms with its lower end seating in the recess of the lower arm, means adapted for operative connection between the steering knuckle of a vehiale, and standard, and. means for securing the'lam'p bracket against displacement. said means'including a bolt passed through the arms of the first bracket and throughthe tubular. portion of the lamp bracket In testimony whereof I afi'ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLIFTON WATERS. [L. s.]

I Witnesses: I

P. E. QUICK, J. A. MCLEAN. 

